Score Business WorkShop 

Effective Consulting: How to Start (or Improve) Your Consulting Business (Oakland)

Led by SCORE Industry Professional: Joel Kaufmann

WorkShop Fee ($70) - Includes FREE download of our 17 chapter guide “How to Start & Manage your Small Business”

Effective Consulting:  How to Start (or Improve) Your Consulting Business

 This workshop is specifically designed for professionals who are interested in starting a new consulting business or who have an existing practice and want to expand or improve it.  The form of the workshop is interactive and participatory, with plenty of time for questions.  You will begin to develop an approach and a plan that are effective for you.

 Just starting out?  This class will orient you to consulting as a career, including the basics of setting up your business, understanding what you bring to the table, marketing and pricing, proposals and contracts, and how consulting is different from working as an employee.  You will get a concrete start on a practical business plan. 

 Currently a consultant?  You will learn how to improve your existing practice, including sharpening your understanding of what you offer, who exactly are your target clients, and how to describe and package your services.  You will understand more deeply how to find and manage client engagements and how to be successful in working with your clients.  

 Topics covered include:

• How to set up a consulting business (with references to sites and materials for further help)
• Understanding who your potential clients are and what you bring to the table
• Finding and managing client engagements (including marketing, proposals & contracts, pricing, and finances)
• Knowing how to work with your clients (including guiding principles, ethics, and "notes from the trenches")
• Creating a practical business plan

  Joel Kaufmann is a long-term consultant whose main focus has been helping companies define and launch new services and improve operations.  He is an expert at bringing people together to understand and solve common problems, and has very strong mentoring and teaching skills.  Joel holds advanced degrees from Stanford (Electrical Engineering) and the University of California at Berkeley (Planning).